"Minecraft" is available on both Nintendo's Wii U and Switch.
Nintendo/Mojang/Microsoft

From January to July, "Minecraft" dominated Sony's best-selling PlayStation 4 games list.

Only in February, when major games like "Anthem" and "Far Cry: New Dawn" launched, was "Minecraft" knocked from the top 10. By the next month, "Minecraft" was ahead of both games once again.

That's a standout achievement considering that Sony's direct competitor, Microsoft, owns and produces "Minecraft." Sony doesn't publish any games on Microsoft's Xbox One platform, nor does it publish games anywhere other than its own PlayStation consoles — a precedent set by Nintendo decades ago that has slowly been eroding.

For example: Microsoft publishes "Minecraft" on a variety of non-Microsoft platforms — from Apple computers to Android smartphones to Nintendo's Switch. The game even allows for cross-platform play, so that players can play with friends on any platform where "Minecraft" is available.

That's a major derivation from gaming's long history of console-makers only publishing games they make on their own platforms. Nintendo's "Super Mario" games, for instance, are only available on Nintendo's consoles.

So the logic goes: If you can only play X game on Y console, you'll buy Y console in order to play X game. But Microsoft is flipping that logic with "Minecraft."

"Minecraft" on PlayStation 4 is essentially the same game available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC, and Mac (among other platforms).
Microsoft/Mojang

Sony's PlayStation 4 is far and away the most popular console in the world, with over 100 million units sold since launch back in November 2013. Microsoft stopped revealing sales numbers for the Xbox One years ago, but estimates put its lifetime sales somewhere in the 40-60 million units range.

But with games like "Minecraft," and Microsoft's moves with cross-platform gaming, the company has taken a new tactic in the ongoing console wars — and it looks like that tactic is paying off.